Creating new memories

The vibrant purple of the Jacaranda trees which line the Adelaide streets have delighted me since I arrived here. They are such a contrast to the naked winter trees of home. I know I should delight in the beauty of each season but honestly, leaving the cold, grey damp November skies for the sunny spring skies of Australia has been like a rejuvenating tonic. I realize how very lucky I am to be able to escape the harsh winter of home this year, particularly with the dark memories these months carry for me. It is coming up to two years since my mother’s death in November and while I miss her terribly every day, there is no doubt that it is easier to bear in this environment which holds no memories of her. I have been thinking a lot about how powerful our sense memories are – smells, sounds, places have such a strong hold on us. I am hoping that creating new memories at this painful time of year may help in the years to come. In the meantime I am savoring every moment of sun, colour and new sights.

I love Jacaranda, which we have in California too. Glad you could have this time away. Sounds like it’s been healing. Marie, I just lost my mother 3 weeks ago. Sometimes I’m so engulfed with sadness.Thank you for sharing your loss. Another big one that forms bonds.

Thank you all for your encouragement and kind words. Eileen, I am so, so sorry to hear of the loss of your mother – it’s yet another club none of us wants to join. 3 weeks is such a short time – 2 years later I still find myself stopped in my tracks by grief and longing for my Mum. I return again and again to a guest post by Nancy aka The Pink Underbelly which she shared here on the blog with me. Maybe it might help you a little too x

Gorgeous colours! It’s good to get away from the drabness of the winter months – especially if those months hold a sad association for you, Marie. I think you’re right – creating new sense memories will definitely help. x

How absolutely beautiful your photos are from Australia! I hope you are enjoying every minute. It looks and sounds as though you are in a very special place making new memories and having new things all around you. I send you blessings with tons of love and light. xx

Oh Marie, this resonates on so many levels. I wrote recently about the things which spark memories when we are grieving, even at a distance. I do wish you great healing through the jacaranda.

And yes, jacaranda is one of my favourite things of all – it was a new discovery to me during my first year in Nepal. I had never seen prolific jacaranda before and it prompted one of my poems a few years later (http://feistybluegeckofightsback.wordpress.com/2011/04/15/unforgettable-jacaranda/) Now in Yangon, we have jacaranda and a number of other colourful blooming trees (flame tree, padauk and others) and in May the streets are lined with so many colours, it is spectacular.

Love and continued healing to you as you experience so many new things and create new memories
P
xxx

Hope you have a great time down there. I loved the picture. My mother has been gone eighteen years and sometimes I can hardly bear it. But I don’t feel this way nearly as often as I once did. Life keeps happening.

oh, marie, I am so happy for you – that you have a chance to create new memories; and I love the concept of “sense memories” that can certainly be powerful triggers, both positive and negative. I am trying so hard to turn those sense memories into something to replace the ones that make me sad, too. I’ll be holding you close to my heart when you are feeling the loss of your dear mother; let’s just hold on to one another – all of us – and hang on for dear life! maybe there can be power in numbers for healing and comfort.

". . .and the world cannot be discovered by a journey of miles, no matter how long, but only by a spiritual journey, a journey of one inch, very arduous and humbling and JOYFUL, by which we arrive at the ground at our own feet, and learn to be at home."
Wendell Berry